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Getting together with my philippina

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Patient pete
I am unable to enter the Philippines as I am unsuitable for vaccination. We have established a close relationship over more than two years of one hour a day on Skype. We laugh and sing together and discuss everything about each other,the only thing we lack is contact. We intended to holiday together in Thailand but her travel agent warned her that immigration hates lone travellers going abroad due to trafficking concerns. She is 64 but looks about 30. I am worried that I will get to Thailand and she will be refused entry. Will she be given clearance in advance does anyone know. I am a uk resident.
Cherryann01
I have read stories about the Immigration Officers at the airports in the Philippines pulling single female travellers out of line for lengthy interviews regarding their reasons for travel and to determine that they are not victims of human trafficking and a lot seem to have been denied boarding. It seems to be a very common problem in the Philippines and besides actually boarding the flight with your lady in the Philippines, which you say you cannot do, there does not really seem to be an easy way around this.

The more paperwork she has the better I guess. You will need to show you can support her in Thailand, show hotel bookings, flight bookings, your bank statement, etc and proof of your Skype calls I guess but if you have never met face to face it may be very difficult to convince Immigration of your good intentions.

I wish you good luck with your planned holiday to Thailand and please keep me up to date. I also would like to do similar with my girlfriend and daughter, who I have met obviously haha. I have an English daughter and one day soon I would like to take my daughter to meet them in Vietnam for an holiday, probably in Da Nang.
Lotus Eater
@Patient pete

It’s a non starter. You need proof of covid vaccination to get into Thailand as well.
Cherryann01
I think you can enter Vietnam without vaccination if you are willing to change your plans.
pnwcyclist
The first time I took my girlfriend out of the Philippines, on a trip to Thailand, she and I were both separately questioned for about 20 min by officers. She was 36 at the time but also looked younger - maybe 30. We had to describe our relationship, show pics together, etc. So yes, it definitely happens. I'm not sure they would stop a 64 year old woman from going, but hard to know for sure.

Vietnam will require a visa in advance, at least they always did before.
Wellsfry
@Patient pete
I did this exact thing... video chat 1 to 2 hours for 96 weeks... tried to fly to Bangkok.  I flew... she was stopped by immigration.  I sat in quarantine hotel in Bangkok for 10 days... then flew back to u.s.... Recommend you try to fly her FIRST.  Then you follow a day or two later.  Thr travel agent is 100% correct.  Also... have her say it is just for vacation... not to meet you... better chance of going... And another thing... if she knows ANYONE there in Bangkok... especially family would be a HUGE help to get her there... Good Luck! 
onefogarty
The first time I took my girlfriend out of the Philippines, on a trip to Thailand, she and I were both separately questioned for about 20 min by officers. She was 36 at the time but also looked younger - maybe 30. We had to describe our relationship, show pics together, etc. So yes, it definitely happens. I'm not sure they would stop a 64 year old woman from going, but hard to know for sure.

Vietnam will require a visa in advance, at least they always did before.
- @pnwcyclist

Happened to me and my Filipina too!
coach53
Vietnam will require a visa in advance, at least they always did before.
- @pnwcyclist

If I have understood corect FILIPINOS can go there without Visa.  But I dont know if they get let out of Phils.
Cherryann01
I have read that Filipinos can enter Vietnam for 21 days with no visa. For citizens of the UK it is 15 days.
FindlayMacD
The first time I took my girlfriend out of the Philippines, on a trip to Thailand, she and I were both separately questioned for about 20 min by officers. She was 36 at the time but also looked younger - maybe 30. We had to describe our relationship, show pics together, etc. So yes, it definitely happens. I'm not sure they would stop a 64 year old woman from going, but hard to know for sure.

Vietnam will require a visa in advance, at least they always did before.
- @pnwcyclist

I had a similar experience going to Hong Kong.
Enzyte Bob
I have read that Filipinos can enter Vietnam for 21 days with no visa. For citizens of the UK it is 15 days.
- @Cherryann01
15 days use of Woody sounds right. . . . 21 days is abuse.
Patient pete
Thanks to all for helpful messages especially wellsfry. We are still looking for a loophole. Thailand only need a PCR test now for entry and no insurance either which was a killer for me.
Wellsfry
We are trying again to travel to Bangkok on the 1st of September... Will see!  Will be her first trip out of Phillipines it they let us go... If anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate it! 
talamban

@Wellsfry I had problems taking my previous GF to Vietnam for her first overseas travel. She had to prove that she had an actual relationship with me for many months. She did that by showing them her Facebook Account with many pics of both of us together over a period of time. Scary Process in Immigration agents office at airport. Took an extra hour or so of our time. Get there EARLY before your flights and clear security AND Immigration Gates well before your flight departure. Good Luck and Safe Travels.

pnwcyclist
We are trying again to travel to Bangkok on the 1st of September... Will see!  Will be her first trip out of Phillipines it they let us go... If anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate it! 
- @Wellsfry

Are you accompanying her?  If you are, and you can prove up a prior relationship with pics, etc - it shouldn’t be a problem. Just allow that extra hour..

Wellsfry
Yes... We are going together... and are "building" a file to show our 2.5 year relationship is legit.  We will definitely head in early to give the process additional time.  I can understand the mission and security for young Filipinas with sex Trafficking...  Thanks for the recommendations ðŸ‘ðŸ»
kristopherryanwatson
@Wellsfry

This is awesome. good for you, and that is very smart thinking.

My ex partner and I went to Singapore and then Kuala Lampur for our Honeymooon back in 2015.
Overall a wonderful experience, and probably the greatest memory i have of us together.

we had absolutely no problem leaving The Philippines for our trip.
we flew from Manila to Singapore, stayed there for 3 days and then took a 6 hour train ride from Singapore to KL and had a lovely view of the countryside between both. We stayed in KL for another 4 days before returning back to Singapore for a day before catching our flight back to Manila.

At no point from flying out to Singapore from Manila, and then going through customs from Singapore to KL at what would i swear was nothing more than a imposing looking outhouse, did we ever have any concerns.  it was,  surprisingly, a breeze,

However, when we returned to Singapore to fly back to Manila.  That was when we ran into concerns.

Like shared earlier, customs agents at Changi Airport separated us after check-in and interviewed us independently.
they wanted to understand the relationship of....well our relationship.  my partner had to share all of her details:  where she worked in Manila, how we met, how long we have known each otherl....all of that.  As i did the same with another customs agent. and then they would meet in a third area to exchange their notes.

that was a circumstance that we did not anticipate. because of that, we ended up missing our flight and had to wait 3 hours for the next one back to Manila. 

I wish we had thought to be as prepared as you are. would have saved us a hell of a lot of grief and trouble!
Wellsfry
Great info!  Appreciate that!  We are definitely going to have 2 of the same "files" to show when and if they seperate us... so it can go as smoothly as possible...
kristopherryanwatson

@Wellsfry

Good plan.  as long as it goes as intended, they won't have a single thing to stick to you, and you should be in the clear.

sartechjf

@Patient pete, your girlfriend will need to get a CFO and then also she might be scrutinized by immigration officers at the airport, as she will be a single female traveling unaccompanied. Others are correct about immigration offloading single Pilipinas; mostly they are very young Pilipinas. I don't know about a 64-year-old, but she's still single and unaccompanied, so you never know.

Some other folks who replied to your thread are correct about the issue of human trafficking and immigration being pretty strict. Since you have a two-year relationship, even though you've never yet met in person, you should have an abundance of information to show for her CFO interview and any immigration questions.

The standard to prepare for this type of vacation would be: printouts of your bookings for airline and hotel/Airbnb stays, printouts of your Thailand Passes, an itinerary for travel (where will you go in Thailand, what will you see, what do you plan to do), and proof that you can support her throughout her stay and longer if necessary. Her having a positive balance in her bank account and ties to the Philppines are not bad things to have either. Also, sending her a signed and notarized document that is a Letter of Invitation is a good idea, as well, essentially asking her to accompany you on vacation (with the aforementioned itinerary briefly described). Additionally, send her documentation of your income, such as bank statements showing your balances, proof of income, an apostilled birth certificate, and photocopies of your passport. When my now wife and I first met, we also went to Thailand because of the pandemic. Immigration took everything at the airport and kept it in case they ever needed to locate me for any reason.

Check the Royal Thai Embassy's webpage if you haven't already to see what their entry requirements are. The last I knew, you could travel there if not vaccinated, but you had to quarantine much longer than the 24-hour test-and-go scheme they used to have. And the hotels were taking advantage, hey...like hundreds of dollars per night because it was a required stay. But it included meals and everything you needed, which was cool. The Sha+ hotels are generally pretty darn nice. I think the sandbox scheme in Phuket is still going strong.

So, it's just a matter of documentation, my friend. Send printouts of your call logs and some snippets of conversation through Whatsapp (if you use it). Screenshots of you video chatting...the more people the better (like her family, your family, etc., if possible). For Whatsapp, you can export your chat log, and just print out like one page per month so it's not hundreds of pages. 24 pages is enough to establish two years, and make the printouts good, meaningful snippets if you can.

Good luck with your vacation! I really hope you two get to meet! Prepare for the CFO and immigration, and you'll be fine. My wife is over 30 years old but still 17 years younger than me, and she was allowed to travel the first time we met in person. We just had lots and lots of documentation for the CFO and immigration.

Warmly,

Jason


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